Cage This Christmas In
by Chyme for the Rhyme
Summary: It was almost Christmas Eve, a tradional celebration for lovers, at least in Japan. And Ai, as expected, was excited. Yusaku however, was not.


Ai had been staring at the wall.

'Hmm,' he had said, hand on his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully. 'So three point eight metres is the best we can manage. Boring, but I'll take it.'

Okay, that didn't bode well. That last time Ai had started muttering things like that, he had wanted Yusaku to purchase a purple dresser with garish lights printed around the obnoxious large mirror. Yuskau had had to compromise and get a cheap and 'boring' as Ai had dubbed it wardrobe that he could shovel the man, many copies of his cape and tasselled jackets inside. It was worst now that Ai wanted to adopt more casual 'every-day' clothes, the bottom drawers becoming stuffed with sweaters and thin, almost impractical hoodies that still looked stupidly good on him when he decided to pull them over his head. All of which of course, tended to verge on the purple colour scheme. Or failing that black. Still a damn sight more colourful than Yusaku's wardrobe that was for sure.

'What are you plotting now?' Yusaku asked, not quite wanting to draw his attention away from the online journal he was flicking through, but resigning himself to it anyway.

'Seeing just how much space I can devote to the Christmas tree,' Ai murmured.

Yusaku froze.

'I want it to be big,' Ai said, and Yusaku snuck him a look, alarmed to see that familiar fevered glow resting in his eyes, the one that spelled trouble. 'And sparkly. It's just got to have that **_TA-DA!_** look to it!' he exclaimed, as his hands instantly flung themselves out as though he wanted to sprinkle himself with that same TA-DA look he was talking about. '...And the best way to do that is to make it massive,' he finished readily, with a grin. 'Bigger is always better. More room for decorations and other fun stuff!'

'Oh?' said Yusaku, projecting his voice with that exact temperament of steel that had always had Ai's shoulders slumping slightly in response. 'And where exactly are we going to store this tree after Christmas?'

And ah, yes, there it was. The familiar shoulder droop.

'I have access to all sorts of abandoned warehouses,' Ai muttered petulantly, his foot scuffling the ground in a half-hearted kick. 'You know I do. We could store it there.'

'I don't want to be snagging my jacket against a huge tree we don't need every time I have to cross the room, Ai,' Yusaku said firmly. 'I know you, you're going to get too carried away and then we'll have fake pine needles dropping across the floor; and without Roboppi to hover them up, I'll be the one stepping on them every morning and getting irritated because of it.'

Ai's face went still, then soft and sad the way it often did when Roboppi was brought into the conversation; and honestly Yusaku was sure his face held up a similar sort of mirrored expression. It was a low blow yes, but the trouble was he _knew_ Aim all too well. Well enough to know that while he was not maliciously messy, his partner might still create enough of a disturbance that Yusaku wasn't about to volunteer his services as a cleaner for.

Still. He felt something tighten in his chest and he had to rather ruthlessly push it down so that it wouldn't show on his face as Ai stared rather mournfully at the wall and muttered, '...fine, Mr Stingy. Have it your way.' And then he had twirled on his heel, the black catch of his coat and shoes whisking themselves out of Yusaku's vision as he pulled himself up the stairs and out to the landing.

And it was almost worse in a way, not to hear the thump of the apartment door opening, to know that Ai was brooding, just out of sight. Or maybe...

Yusaku craned his neck and was unsurprised to see the slight sheen of silver that announced the presence of a temporarily deactivated SOLtiS as it leant against the wall. While it was a little funny to see it preened and dressed up like a doll in Ai's clothes, it became less so when you understood that it was there because Ai felt the need to temporary disengage from the real world and take refuge in the virtual one.

Yusaku allowed himself a sigh. Ai would be back soon, all smiles and cheer. Had this been half a year ago, he would have panicked, maybe taken off into the net after Ai to try and track his data, despite knowing that if his partner didn't want to be found, there was very little Yusaku could do to change that fact. Now though, he was a little more confident in Ai. But there was still something small pressing on his mind, and almost unbidden, he remembered him and Takeru trapped together in a big-wheel, the sky slowly turning above their head as Flame and Ai had admired the view.

'We should have one of these in the Cyberse World,' Flame had declared, and it was enough to jog Yusaku into remembering the way the Fire Ignis had confidently declared other machines as being cool enough to warrant their building in their homeworld in those short months he had known him. It made him wonder how the Cyberse World might have been rebuilt if the fight with Bohman had ended differently. Sooner perhaps. Would Ai and the other have built their own Christmas trees and decorations, the next time Christmas rolled round? Designed festive monsters? It was too little, too late now, but still the thought sent a pang through him.

And that small, persistent sort of pain was enough to get Yusaku to pull up a new tab, determination now coursing through him. He wasn't stupid. Christmas was advertised as a holiday for lovers, at least here in Japan and expecting Ai _not_ to be excited for it was like expecting the sky to rain gumdrops in the middle of the day.

Yusaku could give Ai something. Even if it wasn't enough.

* * *

After finding what he wanted Yusaku found himself repeating Ai's steps, but this time his feet took him all the way to the apartment door and out through it a few seconds later. Navigating his way to the main shopping distract was easy enough as it lay between him and his usual route to school though he could feel disgruntlement sweep through him at just how crowded the place was. People in heavy coats were clogging up the pavements as they brushed past him and Yusaku found himself developing a steady frown as he walked and walked, cutting a beeline to the store that the internet had given him an inkling to look for.

And yes, there they were, trees Ai would have turned his nose up at. Tiny little things, as sweet as the confections in a bakery, stuffed into little boxes of glass and plastic, their green branches no bigger than a normal _leaf _\- they barely grazed the sides of their contained prisons. They were also pre-decorated, red and silver baubles practically glued onto their ends and Yusaku grimaced as he pictured the sight of Ai's face falling if Yusaku attempted to give him something he couldn't easily add his own tacky flair to. His partner would have no fun with that.

So he trailed onwards, into other stores. Home decoration, at least at this time of year wasn't really something he and many members of the public cared for. In the streets and out of their houses, yes, it was a pretty sight, and seeing the lights strung out from building to building, branching the street like the glittery dew-drop-struck threads of a spider's web, caused warmth to curl through his chest, even if he didn't outwardly show it the way Ai would. Still, he knew of only one building near his own home that showed a Christmas tree through the window, so it was no real surprise that there weren't many of the kind Ai would like readily on display here.

But Yusaku was nothing if not stubborn. An hour later, and he was still searching. It had turned dark by this time, and his teeth were in danger of chattering but still, that little bar of iron inside his mind, the one that slammed down on his thoughts when he remembered Ai's despondent look, kept his eyes swivelling from shelf to shelf, and from store to store.

'Fujiki-kun?'

Yusaku froze, though hopefully not in a completely obvious way. Turning, he saw Aoi staring at him, wrapped up in a relatively trendy brown coat, one that buckled round her waist in a way Ai would have approved of.

'Zaizen,' Yusaku returned with a nod of his head, trying not to feel too foolish at the fact that he had rushed outside without a coat.

Aoi stepped forward, an inquisitive shine in her eyes. 'Are you alright?' she asked. 'You seem...underdressed.'

...it would have been stupid to think she hadn't noticed.

'I was in a hurry,' Yusaku said gruffly, fighting the urge to bunch up his shoulders against a breeze that shot by them, and right through him, swift and chilly, causing ice to thread through his spine.

Aoi was too polite to raise an eyebrow the way he might have done, but Yusaku was left with the feeling that she wanted to as she said in return, very evenly, 'I see.' Then she glanced at the last store he had rushed out of. 'You buying Christmas gifts? I know not everyone does it for people they aren't..._together_' with, but I like doing it for my brother all the same.' Her eyes narrowed slightly, and this time there was a real spark of mischief in them, as she said, rather pointedly, 'and maybe for a few other people this year too.'

It was rather reminiscent of the way she spoke when she duelled and Yusaku felt guilt stab at him as she said it. He liked Aoi – he wouldn't call them close friends exactly, but he still cared about her. And yet he hadn't even considered getting anything for her. It just...well.

And he must be slipping, because Aoi was now looking rather amused and perhaps a little _too much_ like _Ai_ himself when he was in one of his malicious moods. 'Don't worry,' she said, a near giggle in her voice. 'It's not like I expect anything in return.' Her grin took on a sly slant. 'But for Valentine's Day; well, if I give you chocolates, I _will_ expect something in return for White Day.'

Yusaku did not blanch the way another boy in his situation might, but he did blink. And maybe, just maybe, his eyes widened. _Briefly._

Aoi laughed. 'Or maybe I won't! You'll just have to wait and see!'

Okay, perhaps she had picked up a little too much from Ghost Girl. Still. It was none of Yusaku's business. And it was nice to see her brighter and more confident in real life than she had been when they first met.

'Are you looking for anything in particular? You seem...harried.'

Yusaku blinked. 'A Christmas tree,' he decided. There was no crises going on, and it's not like she would assume it was for Ai; Ai as far as she knew was dead and gone. 'But all the ones I've found are _plants_, not trees. I want something...a little bigger.'

Aoi looked at him for a moment, something passing through her eyes. Then she turned. 'Come with me,' she called over her shoulder. 'I think I have just what you need.'

Yusaku had been to the Zaizen residence once before, back when Aoi was frozen over her brother's comatose form, the interior of her home pulled into shades of blue as though to match her mood. Now though, the walls glowed with shades of peach or apricot, the kitchen basked in a a welcome yellow, the sorts of colour Yusaku associated with happy families, ones he had never really belonged to. Not until recently anyway, and now he was a little too fond of the dismal grey tones of his apartment to do anything major about it. Even if Ai sometimes judged him for it. Loudly, and with pointed looks. Besides, all the _real_ colour he needed in his life came from Ai and the connections his presence had fostered. He may have mentioned that once, just to get Ai off his back; it had certainly been enough to get Ai to stop, eyes wide, and then foster a blush that colour would have made a worthy substitute for a rose. And well, that in turn was more than enough colour for Yusaku's eyes.

And he supposed in a way, Aoi and her brother were one of those connections Ai had unwittingly pushed him towards. Akira at any rate certainly looked pleased to see him, pushing himself up from the kitchen table and greeting him a smile warmer than Aoi herself often managed.

'It's a surprise to see you here, Fujiki! But you're more than welcome!' He shot a curious glance at his sister. 'Is this a study session? I don't think I've seen you bring anyone but Miyu round recently.'

Aoi flushed, a bright and rather brilliant blush bursting to life across her face and Yusaku filed the information away, even if he knew it wasn't really any of his business. Ai would get a kick out of it anyway.

'No,' Aoi said surprisingly steadily, though her hands still stuffed themselves into her pockets a little defensively. 'He needs something and since we have it...' she shrugged and then, slightly nervously, she glanced at her brother. 'We've still got that big big one out there, so I thought since we don't use the _other_ Christmas Tree anymore...we could give it to Fujiki.'

Akira's face froze. Surprised, he blinked a few times. And then whatever had held his face so very still, melted and ran away. He smiled again, though there was now a cautious hint to it. '...Of course. You're right. It would be silly to leave it collecting dust.'

Aoi smiled and pulled at Yusaku's arm, lightly guiding him to an old cupboard down the hall. Along the way Yusaku caught a glimpse of a large tree, sprinkled with tinsel and baubles, bursting into life within the longue nearby. It was a rather grand sight, though still unusual to see one nestled so extravagantly inside a Japanese home.

'My mother was a bit of a fan of other cultures,' Akira said, as he caught the direction of Yusaku's look. He was padding after them, ready to quickly step forward to help Aoi bring down something dark and green and wrapped in plastic from one of the upper shelves. 'She insisted in making me try other cuisines and had a love for some of the other garish traditions she read about. Having a Christmas tree in our home each year was one of them. And later on, Aoi's mother seemed charmed with the tradition and my father was only too happy to oblige her.' He shrugged as he brushed off some dust from the plastic wrapping, the blurred view of the Christmas tree inside, now a blob of slightly cleaner bottle-green.

'That original tree was sold, though along with our old house,' Aoi continued the story softly, bending down to remove a few specks of dust with her own fingers. 'But one year, when my brother got his first steady job, he went out and found this one. It was a lot smaller than we were used to; but we still had a lot of fun that year, decorating it together.'

Aoi's eyes glimmered mistily as she spoke, a slight hint of longing to them, enough that it made Yusaku uncomfortable to see. His eyes had held a similar look to them, those days after Ai had died and he had caught himself in a mirror, looking lost and bleached out, too dim to be anything but a living ghost.

Then Aoi seemed to shake herself out of it, offering up another small smile as she turned to him. 'You need any decorations?' she asked him, as she pointed to a box filled with dusty, half-unwrapped baubles, all somewhat dented and with snapped strings attached. She winced at his expression. 'Sorry...we used all the good ones for our main tree.'

Yusaku stared down at the small tree on the floor. It came up to his thigh, big enough for Ai to at least be moderately pleased with, or so he hoped, and small enough to_ not_ get in his way every day. And as for decorations...Yusaku had faith in Ai's ability to get the more garish and tackiest things imaginable.

'No,' he said shortly. 'I'll manage.'

Aoi hovered after him as he stepped back through their door, arms now wrapped firmly round a tree.

'Have fun,' she called after him. 'It's always better to decorate with somebody – let me know if your need any help.'

It felt a bit mean to tell her that he had no intention of personally hanging anything from these branches she had provided, so he simply gave her a nod. And tried not to feel too burdened with the guilt that her face would close, turn wary and perhaps pained if she knew precisely _who_ he was gifting her treasured tree to.

* * *

Yusaku shoved his way through his apartment door, arms tired and strained with nestling this wretched tree so close to his chest, the plastic-coated branches poking him in the face – it was like wrestling with an unruly mackintosh.

'Welcome home!' he heard Ai cheerfully sing to him, and fighting back a smile to himself, Yusaku clumped down the stairs, trying not to feel too satisfied when Ai spun round to greet him properly and then froze, a look of comical astonishment spreading across his face.

'You finally found the mute function on the SOLtiS?' Yusaku asked him, unable to keep the teasing out of his voice as Ai scowled at him in return. 'I was beginning to think you had picked up a damaged body on purpose.'

'You won't be complaining about this gorgeous form of mine later on,' Ai promised, but his voice was faint, lacking any real bite to it as he stepped forward and pointed at the tree. 'Yusaku...is that for me?'

Yusaku raised a brow. 'You want me to contact Revolver and ask if Pandor wants it instead?'

Ai gave him a dirty look then strode over and plucked the tree from his arms, before launching himself to the corner of the room and unwrapping it greedily.

'Aw, aren't you a cutie,' he cooed, stroking the branches and straightening their slightly slumped positions. 'A little old and worn, but I know Yusaku isn't made of money...don't worry, I know just how to sprunce you up!

Yusaku watched, amused, as Ai continued to busy himself with the tree, taking note of the way his partner's eyes had narrowed into an annoyed slant purposefully directed away from Yusaku's glance as he curled fingers round branches and shook them slightly, as though he could iron them out even further.

'Don't break it,' he couldn't help but add, feeling a slightly childish surge of triumph when Ai froze, fingers pointedly clenching around his latest victim, which was, he could admit, a rather weedy looking branch. 'I'm not getting you another one.'

Ai shot him a glare over his shoulder. 'Then why don't you come down here and help me, oh great Yusaku-sama?!'

Yusaku rolled his shoulders – the chill from outside still hadn't left him completely and his hands were pulsing slightly, hurt and red from being thrown back into the warmer temperature of his room.

It was enough to sweep the look of annoyance away from Ai's face completely and get him to bound over to Yusaku anxiously, so quickly that he almost sent the tree spinning onto the floor; as it was, it merely wobbled slightly and Yusaku let out a steady breath, both annoyed and charmed when Ai's hands folded over his own, dragging them into the light.

'Ah, you're frozen!' he exclaimed, his eyes running over the reddened skin. 'Yusaku, you can't go out like this! What if you catch a cold and leave me to nurse you, all on Christmas Day!' Ai's eyes travelled over him, probably taking in the lack of a proper coat and they softened even further. 'Ah, but you've been pretty nice to me today, haven't you? Playing the part of my own personal Mr Santa or Hoteiosho...'

Yusaku wasn't sure how he felt about being compared to an old man with a beard or a bald monk god, but then again, given the low, sultry tone Ai's voice had dropped into, and the way his partner's hands had moved to cup his face, fingers deftly exploring the contours of his cheeks with practised ease...he couldn't quite bring himself to mind too much either.

'...I should return the favour,' Ai said meaningfully.

Without much warning - but then again, since when did Ai ever bother to give him one of _those_ – one of Ai's hands traced their way down his neck, leaving his cheek to pointedly shove at his chest. The next few seconds were a tumble of black and purple and pale, pale skin; Yusaku caught a glimpse of Ai's eyes gleaming at him, felt the weight of his body falling into his with an ungraceful tumble as Ai guided them down to the floor. Familiar fingers were already playing with his belt, his hair, pulling at his clothes, and breaking up each movement with the intervention of a kiss on his neck, on his hair, forehead, and even eyelid when Yusaku took a quick second to blink.

'Merry Christmas to me,' Ai sang under his breath, despite the fact that he didn't need to breathe or sound breathless at all and Yusaku loved him all the more fiercely for it, that Ai had taken all the time and effort to program in this facsimile of being human, all the pants and gasps and suckered breathes that sounded like a punch to his ears. And yes, it wasn't _all_ consciously premeditated, a lot of Ai's impulses and reflexes were the result of the instinct Yusaku had somehow gifted him with over a decade ago, but _still_. Ai hadn't needed all these additions when he had been a small Ignis. The fact that he had designed and made them to his SOLtiS form, enough for them to come into play subconsciously was...everything.

Yusaku would have loved him just as much if he hadn't, but it was easier for them both that he had, especially at times like _this._

'We've not there yet, Ai,' he muttered back, and Ai made a face. Which Yusaku smoothed out, made better, by surging up for another kiss, one against the mouth this time. His own fingers curved, dug into hair, swiped it away from skin that felt hot and flush against his hand, almost as if Ai was really breathing. Up close, if he concentrated, he couldn't hear the whirl of motors.

He pulled away. 'It's not Christmas, yet.'

'Guess this'll just have to be an early present!' Ai retorted, and the next few minutes were broken up into paint-strokes of colour, of skin being unveiled, flashes of darkness sweeping in as Ai pulled Yusaku's shirt off over his head, or unravelled his cape from around his throat. The clothes fell, mis-mashed against the floor into a makeshift pillow as Ai pushed Yusaku down onto them as though to create a nest.

'...Pushy,' Yusaku puffed out, feeling satisfied as no resulting cloud of silver escaped his lips; clear proof he was now thoroughly warmed up, thank you.

'This would have been better if I had already decorated the tree,' Ai muttered, as he crawled over Yusaku, then rolled himself back, hands fluttering over Yusaku's cock to lightly trail a finger over it. He grinned as Yusaku stiffened beneath him, back ram-rod straight against the crease of Ai's fallen jacket and shirt. 'Just think! A merry little background, lights flashing, giving me a glancing, disco-ball-like halo-'

'-and giving me a seizure in the process,' Yusaku said steadily, just because he could and it made Ai give him a disgruntle pout. Well. Yusaku could change that. He grabbed Ai by the hips, half shoving him into position, watching as Ai's pout melted away into a snide smirk.

'So forceful! Honestly, Yusaku, you're such a brute! I know _Ai_ don't need it, but the fact you're not even offering to get me any lub-'

Yusaku very determinedly did not roll his eyes, and instead rolled his hips in a practised motion, not too strong, but just strong enough, as he dragged Ai down, to send his dick pushing up, in the wonderful pocket of warmth Ai had designed just for him oh, not even that long ago. Ai's mouth instantly fell open, the words stopping short.

There was blissful silence for a moment, but Yusaku didn't dare close his eyes, not when he felt too fragile to move.

But Ai did. He closed them and heaved out a sigh so heartfelt that Yusaku's guts churned at the sound. It was even worse when Ai's hand slide over his chest, raking trails of heat against skin cells, pleasure sparking at each point of contact. At this point, Yusaku could deny him nothing.

Ai sat there, like a king, preening and indulging himself into whatever pleasure he had programmed himself to feel in this moment, all those sensors and nerves, so alien to Yusaku's own probably working themselves into overdrive. Those familiar eyes above him opened, love swimming in their depths. So warm and heated, just like what his cock was buried in, and Ai's hand reached up, ran down over Yusaku's cheek like falling rain.

Then his mouth opened. And the pearly whites of teeth of his teeth flashed _silver_, then _red_, then _green_, then _blue,_ in the pattern of strobe lighting, exactly like a bunch of _Christmas tree lights._

That.._.this...__**dumb**_ AI...

Yusaku indulged himself a little by raising a brow. Before his grip fastened even harder on Ai's hips, then, with razor-sharp cruelty, he shoved them up, and dragged them down. Not hard, just enough for Ai's mischievous expression to shutter, to fall, for the lightshow in his mouth to stop. For him to remember, that ah, yes, he was stuck on Yusaku's dick and well, maybe perhaps Yusaku had a different sort of show in mind.

Ai scowled oh so briefly, then got to work, grinding down, then up, curls bouncing off his shoulders with every move, the rise and fall of his body feeling like a mountain, impossible, heavy, and yet _so light _what with each glancing stroke of friction, of heat, of absence...

He moved up and away and then came crashing down again. Like a comet, a meteorite, a deft impossible thing from the heavens...

Yusaku was not a poet. Not a natural romantic, except perhaps when he felt Ai needed him to be. But in moments like this, he came close. Just not enough to let it come spilling out of his mouth.

'_Ai._'

Well, maybe a little.

'_Yusaku_.'

Not that Ai was in a much better place to be spouting endearments either. Just their names, rising and falling in time with the bounce of Ai's body, Yusaku's hands barely able to steady him, to catch him and cradle his hips as he fell and fell and then rose again.

Yusaku was too lose to hear the whirl of machinery, the soft screech of pistons working and moving limbs. All he could feel was his heart in his mouth, falling free from his tongue.

'Ai,' he said again and again and again, watching each wavering curls unravelling from his partner's face, waiting for each crash of pleasure as it spiked through him, and then seeing it reflected back in Ai's face, flashing through him and making his mouth open to push out Yusaku's name, halfway between a curse and prayer.

It was okay; he felt the same.

'Ai,' he said again as his partner let a strangled moan and then crashed forward onto him. Yusaku was ready, waiting; Ai's code couldn't always handle this, all these contrasting signals, or maybe it was just that he could also tell when Yusaku was about to come.

'I'm...' Yusaku managed the beginning of his warning and Ai twisted himself off his hips completely. It was annoying, all that warmth gone, letting Yusaku see stars and empty himself into an uncaring room in an unsavory dribble...but then again, semen and the delicate processes inside Ai were probably not a good mixture.

Locked around Ai's slightly shuddering form, Yusaku's arms tightened even more, an ineffective cage.

'Don't strangle me,' Ai managed against his ear, and Yusaku huffed out an amused breath, one of his hands rising out to leave long satisfied stroke against Ai's head.

Huh. Merry Christmas indeed.

* * *

Yes. Yes, it was! Ai had watched, face split into a wide smile as Yusaku had mumbled the words two days early, falling under the spell of human sleep minutes later. And he had held him through the night, fingers twisting through Yusaku's deliciously short hair before his partner's nose had wrinkled and he had let out a stiff little groan...and then Ai had promptly moved them to the bed so that Yusaku's spine could feel the comfort of an actual mattress beneath it.

He had even been good enough to tidy away their clothes, that's how nice of a guy he was! But oh...

Ai glanced at the tree. An empty, undecorated tree. That...that would not do at all! So on went his clothes again, and he spent the rest of the night making certain preparations. And then he waited, once more, eagerly awaiting the moment Yusaku would awaken and spy his masterpiece.

Alas. Life was full of pitfalls. For the first thing Yusaku did upon blearily blinking open his eyes and witnessing the wonder that now infused the room with cheer and vigorous spirit, was...well, nothing. He just stared. Then yanked back the covers that Ai had arranged oh-so-lovingly round his sleeping form and proceeded to get on with his day.

_Urgh._ Yusaku could be such a let-down sometimes. But no, Ai was getting side-tracked and he couldn't afford to miss the main event!

For you see, Ai had been waiting, breathlessly, or so the human expression went, for that special, _special_ day, to come. Christmas Eve, the day before everybody ended up guzzling strawberry shortcake, where lovers would mingle and date and shop and eat, a day for people like him and Yusaku to be...well. Normal, he supposed. Yusaku wanted that. At least, most of the time.

So Ai had watched, day after day, delight dawning on his features as the city squares became dappled with lights, the hard crystallised structures spitting out light like multiple stars; they were draped over bushes and parks and signs, and wrapped up and around, like a flurry of careless snow around the trees that were erected up in their centres. He could sense them as well, the way electricity darted and sparked through the wires, as heady as any river, sprouting out and converting into heat and light energy. Those jiggling currents, they were like little branches that unfurled from a tree, a systematic map that lived in data, that grew every time you added a line of code or input a key command.

Well, maybe not exactly, but it's close!

Sometimes he wondered if he should attempt to describe these feelings to Yusaku, if he should push them out and watch whatever facial expression would evolve there. For Yusaku was linked to the network, not quite in the same way Ai was constantly, but out of every other human on the planet he was the one with the closest idea of what it was like to be connected to a electrical infrastructure so vast, so much bigger than yourself.

But perhaps that wasn't fair. Yusaku could step away, divorce himself from that world Ai was born in. It was one of the privileges of being born in a body of flesh and blood. And Ai was still a little leery of encouraging him to do the opposite, not when Yusaku had choices that Ai didn't have the freedom to pick from.

Still. There were other choices they could both make.

'Yusaku,' he purred, elbows digging in his partner's crumpled duvet. He considered throwing a 'chan' onto the end of the name, popping it out of his mouth with a bright burst of sound, but the wary way Yusaku was throwing a look at him stopped him. Because_ oooooh_, it was fun to nettle Yusaku, but adding that suffix _might_ make Yusaku think he was simply teasing him, when really Ai wanted to ask him something very serious indeed.

Ai grinned, stretched, not a little like a cat, stomach flattening the portion of the mattress uncovered by said messy duvet and curved one foot behind the other like a hook. 'So, what are we actually _doing_ for Christmas tomorrow?' he asked, following up the request by letting his eyelids drop, to shutter over his eyes halfway.

Yusaku stared at him. 'Should we be doing something?' he asked, one brow raised in a way that Ai suspected was meant to provoke him.

And well. Never let it be said that he was a _disappointment._

Ai pushed himself up, quickly readjusting his balance calibrations before he could flop over like a fish as the duvet slipped and slid over the bed like a puddle of greasy oil. Ignoring the tiny smile sneaking its way onto Yusaku's face (okay, okay, he enjoyed the fact it was there, relished it really) he stared at his partner, making sure a suitable amount of outrage was plastered across his _own_ expression. 'You GRINCH!' he proclaimed testily, anger building in him as Yusaku continued to stare at him, completely unfazed by the insult. 'Haven't you seen the adverts, all those cakes in the shop windows, and people scrabbling over restaurant reservations, or have you been blind to all those harried shopping trips Takeru keeps texting you about in his quest to get Kiku the perfect gift? It's Christmas, a holiday for lovers, and you haven't bothered to prepare a single thing for it!'

Ai gestured to the tiny tree he had set up in the corner of the room, gold tinsel wrapped testily round its branches as though he had been attempting to strange the thing, and the shiny baubles which hung from their ends were all proudly curved into the shape of his old Ignis-form head. He still mourned the fact that he had wanted a bigger tree, one that stretched up to the ceiling, branches reaching out to tug on the corners of his vision wherever he spun inside the room. But since Yusaku, dear killjoy Yusaku, had folded his arms as soon as he had excitedly babbled about his plans and asked him where exactly he had expected to store it once Christmas was over...

Well. It _was_ true. Yusaku's tiny apartment _was_ horrendous when it came to stuffing away any surplus equipment. So Ai had sulkily relented, pretending not to notice the quick, almost interested looks Yusaku had given him when he started fiddling with the branches of the tree his kuudere little Yusaku-chan had brought home for him a few hours after his initial refusal. It was cute really, the way his partner had a passing interest in Ai's whims but felt no real inclination to partake himself. Even cuter that he had made an attempt to be spontaneous and surprise Ai with the tree in the first place after his rather curt refusal beforehand.

_Still._ That didn't mean Ai had to grant him any further leniency in this matter!

'You haven't even bothered to liven up the place!' he pointed out accusingly. 'Decorating that tree was hard work! And you left it all up to me!'

Yusaku glanced at the tree, staring rather pointedly at one of the Ai-head ornaments as it stared back him in return, gold eyes pulsing with a small ambient glow. 'Because you enjoy that kind of thing and I don't,' he said quietly. 'Besides; you can't eat any of those cakes you so admire in the windows and booking a dinner in a restaurant that you can't eat in seems a little unfair to me.'

Ai softened a little at that, but not much, _certainly_ not enough to stop himself flailing dramatically and pointing at Yusaku accusingly. 'Ha! Gotcha! You know I don't care about the eating part! I just want to do what other couples do because it's an _adorable_ tradition that proves how much you love each other.' He ignored Yusaku's rather tired and wry look as he proceeded to clasp his hands together vigorously, now practically shaking in excitement as his imagination took hold. He could picture it, Yusaku and he, strolling beneath the lights as Ai pestered him to share his scarf the way Asuka and Judai had done in the last episode of 'Flurry, Flurry Love.' Ai faltered for a moment as his imagination didn't _quite_ stretch far enough to have Yusaku actually take him up on the offer and snuggle into his side, at least not in public...but, _but,_** but** that was not the point!

He spun on his heel and fixed Yusaku, the real one, though unfortunately just as disagreeable as the one in his imagination, with a firm look.

'Besides,' he stressed, his tone turning into a slightly pleading one. 'It's not like you'd be stuffing your mouth the whole time we would be out together. You can talk to me, like a normal person between bites. Other people manage. Or well, I guess I can do all the talking.'

Yusaku's eyebrow climbed all the way into his hairline. Well, not quite. But Ai could tell it wanted to.

'Oi! Rude! Wipe that look off your face!'

'Why?' Yusaku asked blandly. 'You're rude all the time.'

Ai paused. He didn't really have a ready argument against that.

'Besides you never stop talking anyway. So you haven't really described us doing anything different.'

Ai pouted, only slightly mollified by the warm amusement creeping over Yusaku's face, smoothing the line of his mouth into a slightly bigger smile. Slightly.

'Keh! You're so mean,' Ai muttered. 'Are you trying to make me fall out of love with you?'

A miracle happened as Yusaku's smile grew wider and Ai perked up as his partner walked over to stand in front of him.

'Empty threats don't work, Ai,' he said firmly, a hand reaching up to rather tentatively slide into Ai's hair, palm dropping softly to nestle at his cheek. And oh, how nice it felt! The perfect present! Yusaku was so _good_ at giving those, morsels and crumbs of affection that Ai was all too eager to lap up in return.

Yusaku tilted his head, green eyes treacle-soft and alight with affection. 'They especially don't work coming from hostages.'

Ai smirked. 'You mean _partner_,' he corrected, his own fingers reaching up to fold lightly over Yusaku's letting them slot into the gaps between his knuckles, those small mountains of bone. 'And you're wrong. Threats can work if the person doing the threatening has something the other party would be willing to bargain over.'

Yusaku frowned and Ai's grin grew wider. 'Hey, hey, this 'hostage' as you so wrongly call him gives pretty good kisses, yeah? And all _sorts_ of other _goodies_.' He let his smirk dip, waver and stretch into something more lavish to give no doubt as to the precise nature of these 'goodies'. 'And if you're real nice to me,' he continued, his free hand reaching out to he could give Yusaku a light and playful flick against the nose, 'I'll give you _another_ special treat on Christmas day.'

Yusaku's expression didn't so much as flicker. 'You mean if I spoil you rotten, you mean?'

Ai's cheeks puffed out. 'No! How did you get that from 'real nice to me'?'

'Because your definition of 'being nice to you' involves me being a complete pushover in return,' Yusaku deadpanned, before he sighed, let his hand drop into the curve of Ai's neck and gave it a small, insistent push so that Ai's forehead fell with a soft clunk against his own. His nose then wrinkled a little as Ai took shameless advantage of the new position to bring their lips together and tear a quick kiss out of the moment.

'See?' Yusaku murmured, as Ai pulled away, golden eyes laughing at him. 'You want a pushover. Not a partner or a kidnapper.'

'If I'm really a hostage, then why don't you whisk me away somewhere?' Ai murmured back and Yusaku let out a thoughtful hum.

'Alright,' he said. 'Tomorrow we'll go to the Christmas market.'

Ai grinned and could no more stop the swell of happiness rising up inside him, than he could have put up normal non-Ai-chan shaped baubles on their little plastic tree. Because, you know, that would have been lame.

* * *

There was no snow dusting the ground as they stepped outside the next morning. Which, although it would have added certain slippery difficulties to the journey, would also have been a nice touch. Especially given the rustic, old-world European feel to the market. Really, a touch of snow would have been perfect.

Ai's head was too busy swivelling from side to side in delight to mourn that though, despite all the other angled shots his main processor was receiving from the storefront cameras dotted at various intervals. It gave him the perfect map of the area, but there was just something about seeing it with his own two eyes, down at ground level, at Yusaku's level, that made excitement unfurl in his motorised chest.

Some of the stalls were comprised of small logs knitted together like those archaic huts he had seen in various movies, while others bordered on the shape of the more conventinal garden huts you could find in parks, one designed to be taken down and dismantled in a matter of hours. They were cute, ranging from a pale brown, light enough to be called yellow or peach, to a dark dangerous, forest-bark like darkness, the kind you would find enclosing wolf packs.

Honestly Ai felt a little like a wolf himself, darting from stall to stall to let his eyes linger on thousands of small Santas and reindeer, and delicate glass ornaments that could catch the light and spin, like dream-catchers.

'Cute,' he would whisper, or 'pretty' he would coo, perhaps a little tempted to buy, a_ little_, but no.

'My hand-crafted ornaments are better,' he confided to Yusaku with a theatrical stage whisper loud enough for a few stall-holders to hear and give him weird looks for.

'...You used a 3D printer.'

'With modifications! Have you seen other ornaments glitter and sparkle the way mine did? And I got a few made in actual factories with light-up eyes!'

Yusaku ignored him and bent a little to give a closer inspection to a gingerly-made snowflake, the whorls and corners of its pattern glowing then fading at second-long intervals, infusing the white sparkle of its shape with a rainbow-hued glow. Impressively enough the whole thing had been hollowed out and spun out of glass, the near-invisible wires threaded through and looped into each inch of its small shape.

'Come back to me when you because a glass artisan. And do something that involves years of practise and skill.'

Ai sniffed. 'You just don't appreciate my talents! Or are you just mad because I didn't make any in the shape of your head?'

Yusaku's eyes flickered up to the sky. 'No,' he concluded with a slight bite to his voice. 'I think I'll survive without that honour.'

Ai cast him a side-look, then immediately got distracted by a hut-shaped stall that had been painted a garish red. It was selling paper and cards. And ooooh, that's right, those camera feeds had told him that there was silvery-white pavilion on the other side of the square, and judging by the plastic chairs inside it was probably a cafe. Which meant he could pester Yusaku into easting something decorative and cute – because while eating _was _weird, Ai still enjoyed watching the slight twist to Yusaku's expression when he found something he enjoyed.

He turned with a smile and seized Yusaku's hand with a lighting quickness that made a girl nearby flinch. Yusaku however, merely stiffened in surprise for a moment, before giving him a deceptively dull look. Deceptive, because Ai could tell when Yusaku was truly bored, so he smiled even wider and gave Yusaku's fingers a slight squeeze.

'C'mon, c'mon! Let's find you something truly satisfying...'

Yusaku's look turned even duller, as though the muscles in his expression had become weighed down with lead.

'I'm not eating whatever whatever ice-cream sundae you point to, just because it's the most colourful thing on the menu.'

_Geez_. Ai fought back his irritation and gave his partner, the annoying love of his life, his most winning smile, ignoring the people giving them the side eye.

'Are you stupid, Yusaku? It's winter, I'm not about to make your teeth chatter over the spoon I will oh-so-lovingly stick in your rude mo-'

'You're not feeding me anything, Ai.'

The girl nearby, who had been flinching at Ai's marvellous hand-holding skills a moment ago, starting giggling into a hand. And wow, okay, some people had no subtlety. Luckily for Yusaku however, Ai was not one of them. He turned round stiffly, and with a stubborn tug of his arm, towed Yusaku away. Yusaku, despite his words, followed amiably enough, which caused a small, slightly private smile to sprout on Ai's face. Indeed linking himself to that rude girl's smartphone nearby as she tapped out a text message eagerly, he accessed the camera which fortunately was turned in such a way to catch a glimpse of Yusaku's face...ah, yes, there it was. The line of his mouth, one that tilted ever so carefully into an upwards direction, like a small, no, _tiny _slice of the moon.

Ai had caused that. And he practically danced his way over to those tents as a result.

'I'm not going in there.'

Ai paused. Steam slipped through the gap in the tent, the open spill fluttering as though to usher in new customer. So, they were obviously selling something hot. What possible objection could Yusaku have now?

He turned with a sigh, his free hand coming up to perch itself on his hip. 'Now is not the time to develop fussy eating habits! C'mon, what's so wrong with going out on a nice date with me?'

Yusaku shrugged, the motion jostling their held hands. 'Because we already have somewhere else to eat. Well, somewhere I can eat.'

Ai froze. For about half a second as his brain ticked over the implication of those words. Then he dropped Yusaku's hand like a hot potato and flung both his arms around him in tight hug, letting out a slight trill of appreciation. 'Yusaku! I should never have doubted you!' he pulled back, looking slightly teary-eyed. All fake of course, but Yusaku knew that if the long-suffering fondness on his face was any indication. 'You spent money on me! For a restaurant reservation! Ooh, where are we going? Italian? Or did you book one of those fancy Kentucky fried chicken places?'

Yusaku's face become locked into a slightly stiff expression, well. Stiffer than usual.

'Not...exactly.'

* * *

Not exactly, was right. Spot on. Correctamundo. Ai folded his arms and glowered. He was sitting on a bench beside his insane partner, who had pulled out some half-squashed sushi-rolled from his bag and was now gnawing at them like rabbit trying to root its teeth around a frozen carrot. Ai glanced at them with no small show of disgust. He could see chicken rolled up into the rice and clumps of cucumber or avocado or something as green as Windy had once been, but _urgh._

He glowered some more, shoulders become more hunched as Yusaku continued to chew. _Slowly._

'Why are you eating outside!' he exploded after a few seconds too long. 'It's freezing! Are you trying to make yourself ill!'

Yusaku bent down and fished out a juice cartoon form the bag. _A juice cartoon._ How had Ai even missed him packing this junk? Well, okay, he had been absorbed in watching this cute movie about a penguin this morning, and while Yusaku _was_ wonderful, it's not like he paid attention to _every_ single thing he did when he was pottering around the kitchen, but_ still_.

Yusaku took a few slurps down the straw then practically punched his teeth into the last of the sushi rolls. 'Done,' he said. Then he offered Ai a steely look. 'It's Christmas Eve. Everywhere will be crowded. And it's silly to waste money on myself when I know you're much rather waste it on something else.'

Ai sniffed. 'Spending quality time with you is not a waste of money, Yusaku!'

A rather malicious smile cracked Yusaku's expression in half. No, seriously, watching it practically gave Ai the chills.

'You sure?' his partner asked as he brushed a few stray crumbs of his clothes. Then he stood up and reached back down, his hand fastening on Ai's tightly clenched one. He gave it an idle stroke, causing spikes of heat to ring over the sensors in the SOLtiS there, to jangle there comfortably, before his fingers curled over and closed and caused them to soar - and now both hands once again became a bridge that linked the two of them together.

'Come on.'

Ai grumbled. But he couldn't help but stumble after him, over and around the corner to a small, run-down looking store, lights spilling out onto the pavement. Ai was about to moan some more, to mumble under his breath about how cruel and stingy Yusaku was when something caught his eyes. Ai froze, balancing on the balls of his feet, like an impatient child on tiptoes. Then abruptly he dropped Yusaku's hand and rushed over to flatten his nose against the glass. There. It was _magnificent._

An indigo jacket, caught perfectly in a way that would highlight the tuck of his waist, and a black waistcoat and a golden hair tie that would pair up nicely with his eyes and oh, those boots, tucked away in the corner there, those straps were clunky but he had another jacket back home, that would pair up nicely with them and with the right belt-

'Like what you see?'

Ai leant back, enough to press his weight snugly against Yusaku, feeling the line of his partner press up against him. This was nice. Unusual and nice.

'I found this the other day, when I was looking for your wrenched Christmas Tree. All these stores and I noticed all the dark coloured thing in here. It seemed your style...'

Yusaku gave Ai a look from the side of his eye that was almost sly. No, scratch that, it was definitely sly.

'Want to go in?' he asked almost nonchalantly.

Ai grinned.

* * *

Three hours later Ai waltzed back through the doors, bags swinging from his arms. He was half-singing under his breath, beaming at whichever human was unfortunate enough to look him directly in the face and Yusaku was trailing after him, face pale and with a far-away look in his eyes.

Though what he had to look so dismal about, Ai had no idea! Honestly, he had been a bit boring to be honest. And it wasn't like Ai hadn't tried to keep him entertained!

'Yusaku!' he had called out, winding out from behind the changing room curtain again and again. 'What do you think? Be honest.' And he had done his best as well, to be entertaining, to strike the most gorgeous poses, the ones all those super hot models struck at the top of the gossip columns Yusaku was too much of a prude to read.

And what thanks did he get? Yusaku just staring at him!

Okay...Ai sort of got it. Yusaku didn't get shopping. At least not for clothes. They were 'things' as far as Yusaku was concerned, 'things' to be pulled on every morning and resentfully washed every now and again. Not 'things' to be compared against skin tones and eye and hair colour, and set up into endless combinations the way duel cards could be arranged into combos, the way Ai knew they totally could be! But then again, this love wasn't something he could press into Yusaku, so here he was. Stuck with armfuls of delightful clothes and nice clunky boots and a thoroughly bored Yusaku.

'Wouldn't it have been easier to just get me a nice reservation as a restaurant?' he shot out of his mouth as a peace offering.

Okay, that made Yusaku's mouth twist into a vaguely upwards direction.

'Maybe. But I think you were happier doing this.' He gave Ai a stare that cut through him, focussed in the same way he was as Playmaker Mr Hero and saviour to all. 'I like seeing you happy. That's all I really want for you.'

Ai blinked. He...got that too. Yusaku was always so desperate for him to be happy now, that it sometimes made Ai feel a little guilty in response.

'So...are all these goodies my Christmas present now?' he asked, lifting one of the heavy bags and waving it with a noisy rustle.

Yusaku's lips quirked. 'Sure. Just as long as you don't ask me to carry any of them for you.'

* * *

Later, as his tongue tangled with Yusaku's again, as he decided to offer himself up as Yusaku's present once again, Ai wondered how it was that he was allowed this. This second chance, this life, this rush of happiness, and the emotion that unfurled in him as Yusaku kissed him, the light from the baubles playing stripes of colour against his face-

Ai wanted to see him even when his processor overheated, even when he couldn't anymore, even if he died again. How strange, how strong, the sweat from Yusaku's hands sticking to his like glue, the heat of his mouth a greedy furnace – well, all of Yusaku was. Ready to burn him up.

Ai was willing to pay the price, he always was.

Yusaku slid into him as easy as you like, easier than he probably would have with another human, like Ai was something he wanted to smear into and against the bed. But then Ai didn't bruise, and lube wasn't quite the same necessity here as it would be for someone who could bleed and tear.

'_Ai'm_ just for you Yusaku,' Ai sang as though to reassure him.

And Yusaku smiled, and oh, Ai could do this forever, could write a million programs that could repeat this, but no, Yusaku was moving, into a sharp pattern of movement that was never quite the same, that dragged out and rang so short, a sweet temporary truce with time-

Yusaku cradled his head, kissed him as though they had a thousand years to spend with each other and Ai melted into him, hands clutching his shoulders.

Oh, if _only._

Still. They had survived until Christmas, and eclipsed the time duration of at least six percent of the simulations Ai had ran months back. That was something.

And it was more than enough. More than Ai deserved.

Almost midnight, almost Christmas, Ai closed his arms round Yusaku like a cage. And cradled him close.

* * *

**Notes:**One day, I will write something that has an actual plot again. Or maybe I'm lying again. I'm feeling a bit dismal about Christmas this year, so here's something not quite so.


End file.
